The American giant is behind a patent on the surveillance of babies. It is about a system based on artificial intelligence able to analyze the movement of the eyes and the body of the child. The goal? Identify potential risk situations and alert when needed.
AI to monitor infants
As CNBC explains in an article dated September 6, 2019, Google has filed a patent for an unprecedented technology. It is a device boosted with artificial intelligence, whose goal is to strengthen the safety around baby. While some parents use a baby monitor to stay tuned for their newborn baby, Google has been thinking of a kind of tracker that can alert.
The device equipped with audio and video sensors has been designed to analyze the movement of the eyes and body of the child. The AI could then assess if there is a risk (eg fall) and warn parents of the danger. The advantage over the babyphone would be related to the possibility of identifying dangerous cases that could not be perceived by the ear. In addition, the purpose of eye monitoring is to determine whether the child is awake or asleep.
The AI care?
The CNBC also explains that the patent in question is the work of a pair of engineers William Greene and Michael Dixon. They work on algorithmic software design for Google Nest, a home automation company that was recently merged with Nest Labs and Google Home.
At the beginning of 2019, another company had reported about a device for babies. This is Amazon, developing an interface integrating the voice assistant Alexa. One of the purposes of this application would be to warn parents when feeding the baby bottle.
A few months ago, researchers from the University of Northern Illinois (USA) were interested in the reasons for crying babies. Assuming that there are common modulations specific to a particular reason, researchers have determined five categories of crying through an AI. These are related to the change of the diaper, the need to eat, the discomfort, the desire to sleep and the need for attention.
